PATRIOTISM AND NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT II
Last
year I published a posting on this topic following the strike action by
the teachers' labour Unions in the Republic of Benin. The French version of
that post has been left on this Blog as I consider it still relevant.
Apart
from the economic impact of strike actions in terms of loss in productivity,
there are also adverse psychosocial effects on the stakeholders; in Benin's
particular instance, the innocent students who were subjected to lost time
in their curricula for the school year and the stress factor to which the
parents were subjected. The recognition of the
gravity of these consequences for the nation elicited a groundswell of appeal
from various quarters to the sense of patriotism of all stakeholders, in
particular the Unions. The appeal was nationwide and uniform in its message.
The strike action entailed prolonged negotiations, which were characterized by considerable passion on the part of the Unions and the Government. The resolution of the crisis, which may be a reprieve rather than a permanent one offered nonetheless a unique opportunity to examine the role played by an appeal to the sense of patriotism of the stakeholders. It is yet to be seen if the country has been able to seize the opportunity and consolidate the goodwill engendered by the patriotic spirit that contributed to the resolution of the crisis.
Some
general lessons could be drawn from that experience, especially on how to deal with
such crisis and more importantly, how to avoid them in the future.
GENERAL
LESSONS: “Patriotism is the love of and devotion to one’s country”. Every
citizen as a stakeholder has the responsibility to be proactive in embracing
and promoting patriotism as an 'indispensable fuel' with which to run the engine
of national development and promote growth. National development, the growing
of the national output and its equitable distribution are the responsibilities
of all stakeholders in the society. It must be under-guarded by
patriotism and sustained by the society's values and ethics. Being
proactive in promoting patriotism has to transcend exhortations and the
willingness to sacrifice for one’s country not only for its defence against
external aggression but also devotion to work for its socio-political and
economic advancement.
The
following is a set of proactive and programmatic actions for consideration:
1.
A National Campaign on Patriotism with a focus on its indispensability for
national development and ensuring that all public enlightenment campaigns are
in local languages. No country can achieve sustainable development without a
patriotic population. (Some time back, a popular saying in the Nigerian
public service was: " no be my Papa work or business O!" meaning, the
work I am doing is not my father's business so, why should I care about giving
the best I am capable of?) The good news is that there has been a change
over time and that attitude is no longer as pervasive. Of course national
development is everybody's business (public, private, civil society, etc) and
the public service has a pivotal role to play.
Leadership
at all levels of society has the responsibility for ensuring that Patriotism is
embraced and practiced in the way and manner each citizen conducts her or
himself in daily life. The political leadership has a responsibility to ensure
that the public sector is service delivery-oriented, efficient and effective in
order to invigorate the spirit of patriotism in the society. Most attempts at reforming the public
sector have tended to pay lip service to the importance of patriotism in
service delivery. Corrective
measures could be taken through policy decisions that ascribes major importance
to patriotism, eschew ethnicity, discrimination, corruption, exploitation of
workers, tax avoidance and evasion, etc. The loyalty of all the
constituent parts of a country is fundamental and the State has an obligation to
articulate its responsibilities and commitments to safeguard and defend the
interest of its constituent parts, for example, through enforcement of the rule
of law; meeting the challenge of poverty reduction successfully; rewarding
excellence and providing leadership by example; demonstrating that leadership
and the requisite responsibilities are discharged at every level of the society, from
the political leadership to the household; by ensuring for example, that women's rights are
socially and politically entrenched and respected; property rights are immutable
and irreversible; and finally, that the legal and security systems and
their structures exude confidence by eschewing favoritism and corruption,
promoting trust, and cooperative spirit.
2.
Establish a platform for regular discussions of diverse opinions on
governance issues that hinders the promotion of patriotism. The objective of such a platform should
be two-fold: (i) create the space for constructive dialogues on the issues;
(ii) Focus on how to promote a sense of national belongingness and galvanize
patriotism for national development.
3.
Contextualize Patriotism in national symbols and instruments of governance and
development and disseminating these throughout the country, including all
educational institutions and in local communities as part of National civic
education programme.
4.
Establish basic requirements on the significance of the country's
Universal Symbols of Patriotism and their observance at home, at work, in
public places, etc., as sources of inspiration and pride in serving the country
with devotion.
